Grading Every New Jersey Devils NHL Draft Pick
By Nick Villano
RW. Cape Breton Eagles. 122. 85. Scouting Report. Cam Squires. player. Pick Analysis
Every year, there are these NHL Draft picks that come from obscure locations, and those cities (more often in Canada) cover the heck out of it. Cam Squires comes from the lakeside town of Charlottetown. It’s right in the middle of Prince Edward Island, and that’s a beautiful part of the country. Not a lot of players come from the island. The best by far is Brad Richards, and the best active player is Noah Dobson.
Squires is a right-handed shot to add to the Devils winger depth in the system. He’s coming off a 30-goal season with the Cape Breton Eagles of the QMJHL. He was a good offensive player that’s trying to become great. On top of that, he spent most of the season getting better defensively. He wants to be a complete player, and this is probably why the Devils liked him.
Tom Fitzgerald prioritizes players who do it all. He loves Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier because they can score 100 and 80 points, but the real greatness comes from the fact they can play both sides of the ice. Hischier is a Selke Trophy nominee and Hughes once led the league in takeaways. Nobody expects Squires to be in that stratosphere, but he can get there.
Some might think Squires is an overdraft, but we disagree. We like this pick a lot. If we were to pick a player who we think is going to make the NHL, Squires is absolutely that player.